Trial of the Heart
by Luna WhiteWolf
Summary: We all know the hot-tempered cat, Kyo Sohma. But what if there was another cat of the zodiac curse? She's just like him, but she has a totally different personality and she doesn't care what others think of her. What will happen to this orange-and-black, green-eyed she-cat? KyoxOC Summary sucks -.- Rated T just in case.
1. Meeting the Family

**Hey, guys! This is my first Fruits Basket fanfiction! I created a character for this one, just like I do for almost all my fanfics xD I hope you enjoy this one. And I hope she isn't a mary-sue... I tried not to make her one. Enjoy!**

Tikari sighed as she walked, her hands in her pants pockets. She didn't know exactly where she was going. She just knew that she was walking through a forest. She thought it was better than walking through the city streets at least. Even though her neighborhood was particularly quiet, she still enjoyed forest walks better. It soothed and calmed her somehow, giving her something to take her mind off of things. She stared at her feet as she walked, kicking some rocks here and there. She absentmindedly used the toe of her shoe to pick a stick up and flung it into the forest out of sight. She heard it make contact with some other hard surface, but she didn't care to see what she had hit.

Earlier that morning, she had told Hatori that she was just going out for a walk. He knew that she would go out on occasion to get away from things once in a while, so he didn't object. He just simply told her to not get lost or something of the sort and to come back before dark. She had given him a thankful smile and waved in farewell before leaving his house. She had walked through the town until she had finally come to the forest. It was her favorite thing to do now, walk through the nearby forest that seemed to stretch for miles on end until it reached the ends of the Earth, but she knew that was impossible. No forest was that large, was there? She didn't think so.

Tikari felt a little adventurous that day and decided to explore. So she ventured off the path she was taking and pushed passed the bushes. She frowned a bit when a stubborn branch tugged slightly at her black and white beaded bracelet. She knew being cursed by the zodiac as the cat was a bad thing amongst the Sohmas, but she never let it bother her. She didn't care if she was cursed as a cat, she didn't care if people feared her for what she could become. She just wanted to live her life as it was and just ignore the "possibilities" in life that could happen with a wrong turn. She untangled the branch from her bracelet and kept walking. She kept walking until she came upon another path that snaked away through the trees. She mentally shrugged and decided to follow it, curious as to where it could possibly lead to.

Tikari sighed once more and looked down at herself. She had on a black t-shirt with red that faded into the black at the bottom, as well as on the sleeves. She wore red pants that also had black faded into the red at the bottom and black shoes with red soles and shoelaces. It was just her normal attire. Her long, black-tipped orange hair blew in the slight breeze, gently brushing her bare neck and cheeks. She didn't know why her orange hair had black tips, but she also knew that when she did transform into a cat, she had orange fur with black ears, paws, nose, and tail-tip. She then blinked as she pulled out her red earphones from her pocket and started playing a song from her device in her pocket. (A/N - idk if they have mp3 players or iPods or anything of the sort, but just pretend they do because she likes listening to music ^.^) She turned the volume up to just the right amount, to where it wouldn't blast her ears off and wasn't too soft either, and smiled when her favorite song came on. She hummed softly to the music as she continued along the path. She didn't know how long she had been walking, maybe an hour or two, until she suddenly stopped. She looked down the slope below her to see a nice looking house in a clearing.

"Hmm…" Tikari hummed to herself absentmindedly as she stared at the house. "I venture off the normal path to find a house in the woods… I wonder who lives there." She blinked and shrugged and continued along the path to find a way to get to the house without having to resort to going down the slope.

Something slightly dawned on her as she did and advanced slowly towards the house. She remembered hearing a conversation between Hatori and a friend of his - Shigure was it? She had asked about him and Hatori had told her about how Shigure lived in a house in the woods somewhere with some others named Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru. She slightly smiled brighter at the thought of Kyo. She remembered hearing about him and seeing him occasionally at the main house, but she never really talked to him. How could she when he avoided everyone to begin with? She didn't blame him though, not with hearing about how his life had been and what he had to go through. She hadn't seen him at the main house for quite some time though. She had heard that he went away in the mountains for some special training or something and never came back. Well, until recent events a few months ago, possibly even a year ago. She didn't know how long it had been.

Now, Tikari stood at the door, ready to knock. She pressed the pause button on her device and brought her fist up to knock, but hesitated. What if this was the wrong house? She had just come up to some random person's house and expected herself to knock and get along with the people inside. But would they? She was always a bit shy at first, and she never really was the outgoing type to just go up to people she didn't know and just spark up a conversation on the spot. No, she wasn't like that at all. Her hand was still hovering by the door when she finally sighed softly and was about to turn around when there was a crashing sound in the house. She blinked and listened as yelling and more crashes followed. What was going on in there?

She was about to knock again when the house grew silent before an outburst came and stomping was heard, advancing towards the door. Before she could react, the door swung open, startling her. There, in front of her, an angered looking orange-haired teen stood at the door. He hesitated, seeing Tikari, but then continued and stormed passed her. She just stood, staring at the space in front of her. Could that have been…? She turned around, only to find the yard empty. Could that have really been _him_?

"Oh, hello! Were you looking for someone?"

Tikari turned back around to find a teenage girl with long brown hair at the door, staring expectantly at her. Her expression was cheerful and greeted her warmly. "Oh, uh…" She stumbled for words, looking away, but then looking back at the girl. "Yeah… Is-is this Shigure's house?"

"Uh-huh!~" The girl smiled brightly at her and then looked over her shoulder as an older man came up behind her.

"Who's this young lady?" He asked, a sly smile slightly playing on his face.

"Err… It's Tikari." She felt a bit uncomfortable standing there, but she managed to tuck her earphones back in her pocket.

The man seemed to have realized something. "You mean Tikari Sohma?"

Tikari nodded slightly.

The man's eyes seem to sparkle a bit. "Well, welcome to my house! Would you like to come in?"

Tikari took a step back and shook her hands in front of her dismissively. "N-No no, I should probably be getting back to Hatori…" Her voice was low, almost a whisper.

"Ohh~ Come on, Ha'ri won't mind! I'm sure he'll understand if you stayed for a little while at least."

Tikari sighed in defeat. "Oh, I suppose…"

The man brightened up and he and the girl led her into the house. "My name's Shigure, if you didn't know. And this is Tohru." The man explained.

"Hi, nice to meet you." Tohru greeted with a warm smile. "So you're a Sohma?"

Tikari nodded in greeting as they sat down in the living room. "Yes, I am."

"Oh, does that mean you're part of the Zodiac," Tohru asked, a little excitedly.

"Er, yeah, I am." Tikari answered. She looked up as soft footsteps could be heard and someone opened the door that led into the hallway.

A teenage boy with purple-gray hair stood in the doorway. He blinked down at Tikari as he entered. "Oh, hello. I didn't know we had any visitors today."

"W-Well, I wasn't actually planning on staying long." Tikari glanced at Shigure who sat at the other end of the table.

Once again, Shigure answered, "I'm sure Ha'ri won't mind!"

"Hatori, huh? So you must Tikari?" The boy came and sat down next to her.

Tohru had left without anyone noticing and came back with some tea. She handed it to Tikari and she thanked her before sipping it. "Yes, I am. And you must be Yuki, correct?" She glanced at him from the corner of her green eye, taking another sip.

"Yes," Yuki answered, giving a smile.

"And the person who stormed out was…" Tikari trailed off a bit. "Kyo?"

"Yes, unfortunately just before you came, Yuki and Kyo got into another fight. At least you two managed not to break any doors this time," Shigure said, sounding just a bit pleased.

"Yes, well, that stupid cat never learns." Yuki answered. He took a sip of his own tea.

Tikari just listened to their conversation, sipping at her cup of tea every now and then. Stupid cat, huh? Was Kyo really that bad?

"So, Tikari," Tohru said, breaking her out of her thoughts, "which animal of the Zodiac are you?" She seemed rather curious to know.

Not really caring if she knew or not or if she'd even be scared, Tikari shrugged and raised the arm with the beaded bracelet. "I'm a cat."

"Oh, so you're just like Kyo," Tohru said. She seemed a bit happy to know what animal Tikari was.

Tikari blinked. "I suppose." She glanced at Yuki as he began to speak.

"So, I heard you had been staying with Hatori for a while?"

"Mm, yeah." Tikari sipped at her tea. "I didn't really want to go back to my parents so when Hatori found me I persuaded him to not take me back. So, I guess he's like my big brother now." She shrugged slightly.

"So you basically ran away from home until Ha'ri found you," Shigure said.

Tikari shrugged and then nodded, not really caring.

After a moment of silence, Tohru finally spoke up. "I wonder if Kyo will come down soon."

"Who knows? He seems to love sulking on the roof," Shigure said.

And with that, more and more conversations sparked up. They talked about random things. Tikari got to know Tohru better and even started to become friends with her. She even got to know Shigure and Yuki better as well. Kyo never did come down during that time; he was still out on the roof. Soon, it became time that Tikari would have to leave.

Tikari stood up, "Well, I probably should get going. Hatori might lecture me if I'm late."

"Maybe you could visit another time?" Shigure asked.

Tikari thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "Sure, maybe again tomorrow?"

"That sounds great!" Tohru said, smiling.

Tikari smiled as well. "Well, I'll see you later then!" She then walked out of the house with a wave of her hand, hearing Shigure shout a "Take care" as she did. Once she had moved a few feet away from the house, she stopped and looked up to the sky. It was just starting to change colors with the setting sun. She would have to start soon if she wanted to get back on time. She glanced back to the house and looked to the roof. Sure enough, the orange-haired Kyo was lying on his back, staring at the sky. She watched him for a few moments before turning and beginning to walk through the forest, following the path she had previously taken. She took her earphones back out of her pocket and began to listen to more music. The next time she visited, would Kyo be down from the roof?

**Yay! We meet the whole family in one chapter! :D Well... sort of. Kyo never did come down.. . I'll post up two more chapters to start you guys off. I have 6 chapters complete (including this one) so I'll post one every day. Hopefully.**


	2. School?

**Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

Tikari waved to Hatori before exiting the building, heading for the forest. Yesterday, while she was on her way back, Shigure had called Hatori and talked about her visit. Now, Hatori wasn't as worried to let her go into the forest. She didn't know why he was worried in the first place. Maybe it was because of the "weirdos", as Shigure puts it. She didn't know and she didn't care. She was just glad that someone other than her parents cared about her. And she was especially glad that it was her big brother, too. They weren't really brother and sister but Hatori was like the brother she never had. Of course she never had a brother, she was an only child.

Tikari was about to put in her earphones out of habit, but then thought against it. She then shoved her hands in her pants pockets as she followed the first path through the forest. She followed it until she found a slight opening to the side of the path and she used the opening to come onto the next path that led straight passed Shigure's house. She wasn't really sure if they were expecting her that day, or that early in fact, but she didn't really care. She liked surprising people. It was fun to either scare or surprise people. She listened with a small smile to the quiet forest that seemed to help the birdsong echo around the trees. After about ten minutes, she finally came to Shigure's house. She walked up the path that led to the house but then stopped.

A boy with orange hair, whom she assumed was Kyo, stood in the yard, punching the air in front of him. Obviously, he was practicing his martial arts. He was so concentrated that he didn't notice Tikari until she started walking towards him. He stopped and turned to look at her. "You must be that girl who visited yesterday."

Tikari stopped and nodded. "Yeah, my name's Tikari. You must be Kyo, right?"

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Kyo answered, sounding a bit irritated.

Tikari blinked. She didn't know what she did to make him sound like that, though she guessed it was just his personality. "I was just asking…" She muttered, dipping her head down a bit.

"Are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna go in?"

Tikari looked back up to see Kyo standing by the door now, not facing her. He opened the door and glanced over his shoulder at her. "Err, yeah, I'm coming." She quickly walked over and went in after Kyo.

Kyo went into the living room. "We've got a visitor." He announced and then went back out and walked up the stairs.

Tikari blinked and watched him leave before a familiar voice brought her back to the living room.

"Well, hello! I didn't think we'd be seeing you again so soon, Tikari.~"

It was Shigure. He sat at the table, staring at her expectantly.

"Yeah, well, I was bored and had nothing else to do. Besides," Tikari said, "I didn't want to bother Hatori while he's working." She sat down at the table.

"Akito must be sick again, am I right?"

"Yeah, it seems like he's always sick." Tikari stated. She looked up as the door opened.

Tohru came in, wearing her school uniform. She smiled when she spotted Tikari. "Oh hello, Tikari!"

Tikari found herself smiling as well. "Hi." She glanced over at Shigure as he spoke.

"Oh, that's right. You have school today, don't you?" He asked.

"Yep!" Tohru responded.

"School?" Tikari tilted her head slightly.

"You've never been to school before, have you, Tikari?" Shigure asked.

Tikari shook her head. "No, I haven't."

"Well, it's basically a place where you go to learn and hang out with friends, but mostly to learn." Tohru explained.

"Oh, it sounds… interesting." Tikari gave a small smile.

"Hey, maybe you can go to school with them," Shigure suggested, looking expectantly at Tikari with gleaming eyes.

"What?" Tikari glanced at him and then shook her head and hands. "Oh no, I'm not even sure if Hatori would let me."

"Oh, come on! I'm sure Ha'ri will allow you to go to school."

"Are you sure about that?" Tikari raised an eyebrow.

"Of course!" Shigure said. "I'll even call and ask him right now."

"Oh, you don't have to…" Tikari began, but Shigure had already gone and left the room. "…do that." She sighed and then looked back up as Tohru came back in the room. How she was able to leave the room without notice, was beyond her knowledge.

Tohru set down a cup of tea in front of Tikari. "There you go. Well, we have to go to school now. Bye!" She waved as she slid open the door.

Tikari waved as well. "Bye." Once the door was slid closed, she looked down at her cup before taking it and sipping. She might as well take the time to enjoy her tea while Shigure was on the phone with Hatori.

"So, what'd big brother have to say?" Tikari looked to Shigure expectantly, who had just sat down at the kotatsu table. (A/N – whatever the hell those table thingies are called..)

Shigure took on a serious face as he paused for a dramatic effect. After several long moments, and Tikari leaning in unintentionally, he finally spoke. "You can stay!~" He said in a sing song voice.

Tikari sat back, noticing she had been leaning forward, in surprise and confusion. "What do you mean 'stay'?" She said slowly.

"Ha'ri and I came to an agreement." Shigure began. "You may go to school, but you have to stay here."

Tikari's mouth dropped open in shock. It was a good thing the only person there was Shigure. "I have to stay here?!" She asked, as if the answer wasn't clear. "So, I can't see Hatori anymore?" Her voice grew softer with a bit of sadness.

Shigure noticed. "You can always visit him, and you'll see him whenever he comes over here – which isn't very often." He told her.

Tikari sighed, letting her shoulders slump slightly and her head tilted down, in defeat. "Alright fine… but how am I supposed to go to school, just walk in tomorrow and expect to be a new student right away?"

"Well, not exactly." Shigure stood up. "I'll be right back, just stay here."

Tikari blinked up at him. "Are we going somewhere?"

"Yep!~" He then left the room to go to his own room.

Tikari watched him go and then sighed once more. She looked down into her cup of tea, watching the liquid before taking another sip. This is going to be an interesting year.

**I know it sounds kind of dumb for Tikari to never have gone to school before. But oh well. I don't feel like changing it. But she's still smart.**


	3. I Don't Care What Anyone Thinks

**And here's the last chapter I'm posting for the day! Wanna read the other chapters? Gotta wait for them each day! Enjoy!**

Shigure had taken Tikari to Kaibara High School (A/N – that's the name of it, right?) to take an entrance exam. It actually went quite well. Tikari didn't expect that. Starting tomorrow, she would be the newest student at Kaibara High. Shigure had given her a room next to Kyo's room. She didn't think there was a room there, although she hadn't really seen the whole house yet.

By the time Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru got home, Tikari had finished setting up her room and was now sitting at the small table in the living room, talking and laughing with Shigure.

Tikari laughed as the sliding door opened to the living room. "You're such a pervert." (A/N – lol one of those times when you unintentionally pick up a small portion of a conversation and it sounds really awkward XD) She glanced over her shoulder to see the trio staring at them. "Oh, welcome back." She smiled at them.

"Tikari, did you wait for us here all day?" Yuki asked.

"Well, sort of." Tikari glanced at Shigure.

The trio followed her gaze as he began to speak. "She took an entrance exam and starting tomorrow she'll be the newest student at your school."

"I'm still curious." Tikari began. "How did you persuade Hatori to let me go? I never would have thought he would let me do anything like this so easily."

"I have my ways." Shigure smiled. Tikari only rolled her eyes, annoyed that her question hadn't been answered. "And also, she'll be staying with us from now on!"

Yuki blinked in surprise and looked to Tikari. "Really?"

Tikari's annoyance disappeared. "Yep." She feigned a smile. She wasn't really too happy with staying at Shigure's house and not being able to see Hatori, but it was what had to be done if she was to be going to school.

"What?! So we're gonna have another girl in this house?!" Kyo shouted.

Tikari flinched from his sudden outburst. She didn't really expect something like that, though she doesn't really know Kyo that well yet. "Yeah…" She said in a low voice.

Yuki suddenly got a serious look put on his face as he glared at Kyo. "Stupid cat, she has to live here in order to go to school." He stated the obvious. (A/N – I know that that's not exactly true since Momiji and Hatsuharu live at the main house or whatever and go to school. But whatevah, its part of the story lolz)

"Well, how was I supposed to know that, ya damn rat?" Kyo shot back. Before anyone could say anything, he grunted and ran up the stairs to his room.

"Stupid cat…" Yuki muttered.

A few moments of silence passed. "Well, I'm going to go up to my room if anyone needs me." Tikari announced, standing up.

"Oh, I was going to make dinner soon." Tohru said.

Tikari smiled. "Holler when it's ready." She waved her hand before disappearing into the hallway and up the stairs after Kyo. She went up the stairs two steps at a time. She didn't know why she did that sometimes, she just did. She was going to slide open her door, but she caught herself glancing over at Kyo's bedroom door. She could tell that the door was open just a crack. She blinked a few times and shook her head. "Ugh, I'm such an idiot…" She muttered before sliding open her door and closing it behind her. She walked over and plopped down on her bed. She sighed softly as she buried her face in the blankets. She then got up and walked over to the window and opened it.

It was a really nice day and a nice spring breeze blew into Tikari's face. She smiled softly and she breathed in deeply. She then climbed out of the window and up to the roof. She poked her head over the top and saw someone lying on his back, staring up at the sky with his arms crossed between his head and the roof. She could tell right away who it was. Kyo.

Tikari took another deep breath before climbing all the way onto the roof. "Hey. Can I join you?"

Kyo flinched as he looked to her, not expecting her presence. He then turned on his side, his back to her. "Yeah, sure, whatever." He muttered.

Tikari blinked, wondering if he was still mad about earlier. She mentally shrugged and sat down next to him, her hands holding her up beside her. She brought her green gaze up to the clear blue sky. After a few moments of silence, she decided to go back to her room. She was getting ready to stand up when Kyo finally spoke.

"Hey, I uh… didn't mean what I said back there." He muttered.

Tikari blinked as she slowly turned to him, her knees pointed towards him. He had his back still turned towards her. Was he apologizing? "I-It's fine. I'm still kind of… out of place from this whole situation, too," she told him.

Kyo rolled so that he lay on his back. He glanced at Tikari, meeting her gaze. He held her gaze for about a minute before looking back up to the sky. Tikari did the same.

After a few moments of silence, Tikari decided to break it this time. "Is being the cat hard?"

Kyo glanced at her in surprise. He hadn't expected a question like that.

"I mean, is it hard to live knowing you're the cat?" Tikari asked.

Kyo sat up, staring down at his hands in his lap. "What kind of a question is that?"

Tikari sighed as she looked down. "I don't know, never mind. I was just curious." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I never really had it hard, but that was mostly because I was kept away from everyone by my parents. That's why I ran away from them. I never wanted to go back to them so Hatori took me in instead. Afterwards, I didn't really care if anyone saw me as the horrid cat or not. I don't care what anyone thinks…" She trailed off, glancing at the sky once more. She huffed softly, "I'm babbling, aren't I? I'm sorry, I'll just go…" She stood up and turned to leave.

A hand grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. She glanced back to see Kyo's hand retract and rub the back of his neck. "I uh… I guess I did have it hard. I'm always trying to prove I'm worth being part of the zodiac."

Tikari blinked at him and then went and kneeled down beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Kyo met her green gaze with his crimson eyes. "You don't have to. It doesn't really matter what anyone thinks of us. I mean, I know it may to you, but… Anyway," she winked with a small smile, "I heard we have a fan in the house. Shouldn't that matter enough?" Without waiting for an answer, she got back up and left the roof, leaving Kyo to mull it over.

Tikari had climbed back down into her room and hung her school uniform somewhere she would remember. She stared at it before nodding her head once in satisfaction. She then heard a knock on her door.

"Tikari, dinner's ready if you want to come down." Tohru's voice came through the door, muffled slightly.

"'Kay, I'll be right down!" Tikari answered. She took another glance out her window before opening her door and closing it behind her, heading downstairs to the kotatsu where Tohru and the others were eating.

**That's the last chapter for today! I hope no one was too much of an ooc. I tried my best. Plz review!**


	4. The Storm

**Hey guys! Back with another chapter! Enjoy!**

Tikari woke up at a fairly early time the next morning. It was her first day of school. Well, to Kaibara High at least. She had gone to school before, but since she started staying with Hatori, and that was at least a year ago. She changed into her school uniform packed all of her necessary stuff she needed for school into her bag. She left her bag in her room as she went downstairs to see if anyone was up.

Indeed, everyone in the house was awake. Shigure was reading the newspaper at the small table in the living room while Tohru was sipping at a cup of tea. They exchanged "good mornings" before Tikari entered the kitchen. Kyo was drinking milk out of the carton while Yuki was searching for something quick to eat out of the fridge. At least they weren't fighting, for once. She said her good morning and only Yuki returned it. Kyo just grumbled something before continuing to gulp down milk.

Tikari rolled her eyes slightly at Kyo before walking over and getting a bowl, spoon, and a box of cereal out. She poured the cereal into her bowl and set it on the counter. She glanced over at Kyo who had stopped to catch his breath. She quickly snatched the carton out of his hands, which thankfully wasn't empty, and began pouring some milk into her bowl.

"Hey!" Kyo protested.

"Well, instead of hogging the milk, why don't you get a cup like a normal person, and let others use it, too." Tikari finished pouring the needed amount of milk into her bowl of cereal and handed it back to him. "Here, you can have it back now."

Kyo gratefully snatched it out of her grasp and began gulping down more milk.

Tikari rolled her eyes and leaned against the counter, eating her cereal. Once she was finished, she drank the milk that was left in her bowl and rinsed it out in the sink. She put the box of cereal back up in the cupboards before exiting the kitchen and going back into the living room. She remembered that Yuki and Kyo hadn't been fighting this morning. Had Kyo taken her words into consideration? Or was he just in a particularly good mood today? Either way, she was glad for the quiet morning. She noticed Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru getting ready to leave and she quickly went up to her room to grab her bag. She took a quick glance in the mirror before grabbing a brush and running it through her long hair. She didn't really care about looks, but her hair was a mess. She couldn't believe no one noticed, or at least mentioned it to her. She then went back downstairs to meet up with them.

"We'll be back!" Tohru called to Shigure.

"Bye! Be safe!" Shigure called back, not glancing up from his newspaper. Though, he did glance up to wave back and smile when Tikari waved at him.

Tikari followed in between Tohru and Kyo with Yuki on Tohru's other side as they headed for school. She had to admit, she was kind of nervous. She didn't show it, though. Her steps were even as well as her breathing and her green eyes reflected nothing but the trees and the sky. Her long orange and black hair blew in the slight breeze behind her.

Once they got to school, Tohru showed her around the school and to two of her best friends, Saki Hanajima and Arisa Uotani. They prefer to be called Hana and Uo for short. They seem like really nice people. She learned that Hana was a psychic and that she could sense electric signals from everyone. She even said that Tikari's was the same as Kyo and Yuki's, which in turn she was answered with nervous glances from Tikari and Tohru. But naturally, the day went by quick. In between one class though, she was stopped by the student council president, Takai. Boy, was he annoying or what? He went on about how Tikari's and Kyo's hair color was unacceptable. They in turn told him that it was natural.

"And I suppose those black tips of yours are natural as well." Takai had said.

"Yes, in fact they are." Tikari had answered.

He really was annoying, to the point where Tikari wanted to snap his neck then and there, but that was agreeable with Kyo as well. She was fairly easily able to restrain herself from doing so, and his ranting was interrupted by the next class bell. Thank _god_. But the day went by rather quickly none the less.

When they got home, Tikari decided to go to bed early and work on her homework. It was fairly easy and she finished it early. She changed out of her school clothes and got into bed. She sneezed softly as a bit of dust entered her nose. She then fell into a deep sleep.

A few days passed with not much excitement. Kyo and Yuki fought occasionally, despite Tikari's words to Kyo a few days earlier. She didn't expect it to change much though, of course, because they were so used to arguing whenever they saw each other. Well, Kyo always started it first, but it was still the same. Sometimes, whenever Kyo would be out on the roof, Tikari would join him and just either sit quietly or make small talk with him. Now, it was a Saturday, and thick dark clouds covered the sky, making the world dark and gloomy with rain.

Tikari wondered if it was just a rainstorm as she stared out of her closed window. She sighed softly. As long as she didn't go outside she would be alright. The rain always made her weak. I suppose it was the same with all the Sohma's cursed by the cat. She turned and walked out of her room into the fairly dark house. It was early morning and she didn't expect anyone to be up. And indeed, no one was out and about in the house. No one except her. She walked into the kitchen and reached up to open the cupboard when a flashback came to her.

_Tikari was five. Her parents had left her home alone to go on an errand. It was a rainy day and she was fixing herself a bowl of cereal, which she failed miserably, because she had spilled the box of cereal on the floor in the kitchen. The house was dark except for a few lamps here and there in the house._

_Just then, a bright flash erupted from the windows, and soon a loud crash followed. Tikari yelped in shock and fear and threw herself under the kitchen table, huddling and clutching her body in an attempt to keep herself safe. She had never felt so scared in her life. With each flash of lightning and crack of thunder, she clutched her knees tighter to her chest and squeaked in fear. When her parents had come home, she ran to them and cried in their embrace, wanting nothing more than the company of the people she felt most safe around._

Tikari hesitated at the handle of the cupboard and retracted her hand slowly. A soft flash of light brought her out of her flashback memory and she immediately clutched her face with her hands, flinching as the soft, distant thunder followed half a minute later. She peeked through her fingers before removing her hands from her face and took a deep breath, letting it out in a shaky sigh, trying to calm herself down. Once she succeeded, she exited the kitchen and walked back upstairs to her room. Halfway up the stairs, a large, unexpected flash filled the staircase and a loud crack of thunder followed not a second later. She yelped and scrambled up the stairs loudly, surely waking everyone in the house, and entered her room, slamming her door unintentionally behind her. She then leapt onto her bed and threw her covers over her, huddling and trembling from fear in her bed.

From the room next to her, Tikari could hear Kyo grumble about something. Another bright flash of lightning shown through the blankets and she yelped as the thunder rolled overhead, clutching her ears tightly as if her life depended on it.

Soon after, a soft knock was heard on her door. "Tikari? Are you alright?" Even though the voice was muffled through the door, she could tell it was Yuki.

Tikari swallowed and tried as best as she could to make her voice sound confident. "Yeah, I didn't mean to wake you up, Yuki. I'm fine!" She was surprised that she was able to keep her voice from wavering.

Yuki answered with an "okay" before leaving her alone. He probably went back to his bedroom.

After that, the thunderstorm slowly started getting worse and the time between the flash of lightning and the thunder and back again had diminished until they were only seconds apart.

Tikari tried to keep her shouts of fright down to a low squeak so no one would worry. But it was beginning to grow harder with each loud crack of thunder. Somehow, she managed to kick off her protective covers and she opened her eyes once to see an orange glow in the distance from her window. A lightning bolt must have struck a tree in the forest and set it ablaze. The loudest crack of thunder she had heard from this thunderstorm rolled, seeming to shake the house down to its core. Tikari screamed, unable to hold her voice in any longer. By now, tears had streamed down her face and stained her shirt. She soon transformed with a _poof_. When the smoke cleared, she was now replaced by an orange cat with black ears, paws, nose, and tail-tip. She had her paws over her head, flattening her ears, her green eyes squeezed tight, tears still rolling down her cheeks, and she shook violently from tremendous fear. She just lay huddled up in the middle of her bed.

Loud thumping sounded outside her room and her door slid open. "Hey! Are you alright?!" It was Kyo.

Tikari opened her eyes halfway to see Kyo standing in her doorway with Yuki and Tohru standing behind him with worried or concerned faces. She opened her mouth to say something when another crack of thunder interrupted her, making her squeeze her eyes shut and mewl pathetically instead. She really did feel pathetic right then and there. Hatori had only seen her once like this, but not a whole bunch of people. They all seemed tough and nothing could ever scare them – well, minus Tohru - and here she was, transformed from too much stress and mewling fearfully about a stupid thunderstorm.

Tikari could hear the shuffle of feet in her room and then her bed creaking softly from weight suddenly sitting on it. She then felt a set of hands pick her up and set her down on their lap, placing a comforting hand on her back. She flinched when another crack of thunder rolled over head and only allowed herself to let out a small squeak before opening her eyes.

Tohru and Yuki sat on her bed in front of her, staring at her in concern and possibly sympathy. She then lifted her head to glance up to her comforter. Kyo stared down at her, a flash of worry shown in the back of his crimson eyes. She held his gaze for a moment before glancing back at Yuki and Tohru.

"Tikari, are you afraid of thunderstorms?" Tohru asked softly.

Tikari nodded slightly, her green eyes were still glazed over with fear and her cheek fur was stained with tears that still flowed. "Ye-Yes…" Her voice wavered and seemed almost hoarse. Another loud crack of thunder. She mewled in fright and clutched the top of her head with her paws, claws included. She could feel Kyo's hand gently stroke her back in a soothing, rhythmic motion. She scooted closer to his shirt and snuggled into him, enjoying his comfort. She slowly opened her eyes and glanced at the trio on her bed. She opened her mouth as she began to speak. "Why… y-you worry… about m-me?" She flinched and dug her claws deeper into her head when the thunder rolled once more.

A hand touched her paws and, with a bit of effort despite her silent protests, removed them from her head. Tikari had drawn a bit of blood from the top of her head from where her claws had dug into her skin. But she didn't care, anything was better to keep her mind off the things that brought fear to her mind. She now felt a hand stroking the top of her head, and she only guessed it was Kyo.

"Because, we're your friends," Yuki told her softly. "We can't let you suffer with something like this alone."

"Yes." Tohru agreed. "We're here for you now."

Tikari opened her green eyes and stared at them. She swallowed before opening her mouth once more. "Thanks guys…" She whispered. A softer crack of thunder rolled overhead and she flinched, closing her eyes. She then nestled her face into Kyo's shirt, flattening her ears and rubbing away her tears. She kept her head there as the thunderstorm quieted over time and seemed to have moved on. Soon, she fell asleep in his lap, finally feeling safe and just tired from bawling her eyes out. She didn't know where everyone went after that, but she was sure they left her room.

**AAWWW! Kyo****'s so gentle and caring :3 its a bit of a fluffy moment between the two X3 I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as i did! Plz Review!**


	5. Shigure's a Pervert

**Hey everyone! Back with another chapter this morning ;) This takes place right after she falls asleep from the storm in the morning.**

Tikari's eyes flickered opened and she blinked a few times to adjust to the light that filtered in through the window. Her room was empty once more and the clock beside her bed read 2:43pm. She yawned and noticed that she was in her bed with the covers over her all the way up to her neck. She wiped at her eyes to remove the sleep from them and sat up, letting the covers fall from around her chest. She realized then as the cool air met her where blankets had recently been resting, that she was naked. Her clothes were at the foot of her bed and she quickly got out of bed and got dressed. Once she was dressed, she relaxed. She sat back down on her bed with a sigh. She lay down and thought back to this morning. No one had ever been there for her like that, not in her entire life. She felt so happy and grateful. And Kyo, he was so warm and very comforting. The next time she saw him, she would hug him.

As if on cue, there was a knock at her door. Tikari sat upright and turned to look at the door. "Come in."

The door slid open to reveal none other than Kyo himself. He held a tray in his hands that contained food. He walked inside and closed the door with his foot before walking over and setting the tray beside her on the bed. He stood up and rubbed the back of his head. "I thought you were hungry so I brought you something."

Tikari took a quick glance at the tray beside her before standing up. She then threw her arms around Kyo in a big hug and hid her face in his shirt. It was warm, just like this morning. "Thank you…" Her voice was muffled by his shirt.

Kyo blinked in surprise a couple times. He hesitated a few moments before wrapping his own arms around her when she didn't let go. He rubbed her back slightly with his hand in a rhythmic motion. "…for being there for me." Tikari finished in a softer voice. Kyo didn't say anything. He didn't need to, the hug said it all. Tikari was grateful to him and Kyo was giving comfort once more. After a few moments, he released his grip on her and pushed her down into a sitting position on her bed. "Eat, or it'll get cold." His voice wasn't soft at all. His usual personality was kicking in again.

Tikari nodded and began to eat what was brought to her on the tray. Kyo watched her for a few seconds before turning and beginning to walk towards the door. Tikari stuffed a piece of crab meat **(omg i _love_ crab meat! :D)** in her mouth and swallowed it whole. "Kyo, did you make this?"

Kyo stopped but didn't turn to her. "Yeah, I did."

Tikari smiled warmly. "It's delicious! Thank you, Kyo."

Kyo glanced over his shoulder at her but then slid open the door. "Yeah, well, it's gonna get cold if you don't eat it!" He told her a bit sternly. He then closed the door behind him as he left.

Tikari stared after him in surprise before giggling softly. Kyo could be such a softy when he wants to be. She finished eating her food and reached for the cup. She stopped when she picked it up. Kyo had given her a glass of milk. So Kyo wasn't selfish about the milk after all. She giggled once more before chugging it in a few gulps. She set the glass down on the tray and licked her lips where the milk left a mustache. She then picked the tray up and walked out of her room, using her foot to open and close doors.

When she was halfway down the stairs, her taking careful steps so she didn't fall, Shigure popped his head through a nearby door. "So…" He started, making the "o" longer than it should be. "I heard you had quite the scare this morning. Were you being stalked by a certain someone?~" He eyed the empty tray she held in her.

Tikari blew air out of her nose and scoffed, her voice becoming stern. "Shigure, stop your pervertedness and go do something worth your time for once." She walked passed him and left him to his dumbfoundedness. She walked into the kitchen and almost bumped into Kyo. "Oops, Sorry."

Kyo blinked at her before taking the tray from her and pushing her out of the kitchen. "Here, I'll take it."

Tikari blinked in surprise but didn't protest. She walked into the living room to find Tohru and Yuki sitting at the small table. They looked up from their conversation as she sat down beside Yuki.

"Oh good, you're awake." Yuki smiled at her.

"Are you feeling any better?" Tohru asked.

Tikari nodded her head. "Mhm!" She hummed. "And it's all thanks to you guys." She wrapped her arms around Yuki and hugged him, just like she had with Kyo.

Yuki blinked in surprise but then smiled as he returned the gesture. "That's good."

They let go just as Shigure entered the room. "So were you?"

Tikari huffed and crossed her arms. Kyo decided to walk in at that point in time. "What did I tell you? Stop your pervertedness and go do something worth your while." She repeated, her voice the same as the first time.

Everyone but Shigure stared at her in surprise. She normally didn't yell or tell people off like that. It wasn't in her nature. But Shigure was just pushing his luck today. It couldn't be helped.

Shigure looked hurt. "Tikari, why do you have to be so mean?" He made the end of his sentence longer than it should be as well.

"You brought it on yourself." Was Tikari's only reply. It was true. He did bring it on himself. He's the one who started it. He really shouldn't say anything unless he knows what actually happened.

After a few moments of silence, Yuki decided to change the subject. He turned to Tohru. "Miss Honda, you said you were going shopping, didn't you?"

"Uh-huh! In fact, I think I'll go right now." Tohru stood up.

Tikari stood up as well. "Ooh, can I go too?" Her mood brightened instantly.

"Of course!" Tohru smiled.

"Would you like to come?" Tikari offered, glancing around at everyone. She specifically avoided making eye contact with Shigure. Even though all he did was stay at the house all day anyway, she still didn't want him to come.

"I would love to, but I have to do some gardening today." Yuki told them, a bit sad that he couldn't go with them.

Tohru being Tohru, she answered quickly. "Oh, no, it's fine, really."

"What about you, Kyo?" Tikari asked, turning to the orange-haired boy. She caught a look of hurt from Shigure out of the corner of her eye, probably from not being asked to go. Kyo was about to protest and Tohru was going to insist that he didn't have to come, but Tikari insisted that he come along. She grabbed his arm and tugged it slightly. "Aww, come on, please?~"

Kyo stared down at her, because she was a bit shorter than his height, before huffing. "Oh, fine. I'll go."

Tikari smiled and pulled him outside along with Tohru. She let go as they walked down the path that led to town.

**xD Shigure got what was coming to him!**

**Shigure: *pouts* She really can be mean sometimes.**

**Me: Well, you did get what you deserved. *shrugs half-heartedly***

**Aww Tikari and Kyo fluffy moments x3 lolz oh yeah, if you haven't noticed, Tikari has a _secret_ crush on Kyo. She won't tell it and she won't show it but she does have one ;) Aren't hugs just awesome?! I love hugs! I love giving out hugs to my friends :3 Plz review!**


	6. A Day at the Market

**Hey everyone! Sorry I didn't publish anything yesterday. I forgot about it and I was reading a bunch of other fanfics too that had stole my curiosity and attention... . I apologize. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Oh. And I had someone ask me where I found that "Tikari" was a Japanese name. My apologies. *bows respectfully* I did not know it wasn't Japanese. I just made up the name myself and it sounded cool. I don't know what kind of name it is, I just assumed it was Japanese. My mistake. Please enjoy this chapter!**

The way to the market was quiet, but it was a comfortable silence. Tikari walked in between Tohru and Kyo. Tikari reached into her pocket, but found that it was empty. Damnit. She left her IPod and earphones back in her room. Instead, she shoved her hands in her pants pockets as she walked, almost identical to Kyo. They walked into the store and followed Tohru around as she picked out what she needed to buy.

As Tohru decided on what vegetable to buy next, Tikari turned around and watched a little boy and little girl chase each other playfully around the store, laughing and giggling. She smiled softly. At least they knew what it was like to have friends at that age. She frowned a bit. She wasn't even allowed to go outside unless an adult escorted her around. It was usually her mom or dad or both. She could feel someone's gaze on her and she looked to see that it was Kyo. He had noticed her smile and frown. She blinked at him before turning back to Tohru as she spoke to them. She asked them if whatever vegetable she picked up would taste good with what she was going to make later. Tikari smiled and nodded her approval.

"Of course it will!"

Tohru smiled and put it in the basket and began to walk away to go pick out something else. Tikari followed behind and then heard laughing close by. She turned around just in time to see the little boy bump into her. And the little girl bumped into Kyo. _Poof!_ Two puffs of smoke appeared and they were replaced by two orange cats. The two cats quickly ran away, right passed Tohru, and out of the store.

Kyo led the way out of the store and around a corner, hiding in the space between two buildings. Tikari dove into the space after him and then sat, panting. She shook out her fur and glanced at Kyo. He looked pissed. Of course he was pissed off. He just got transformed into a cat, he hated that. This was Tikari's second time changing into a cat today. She sighed softly. Now, all they had to do was wait for Tohru to come out of the store and hope that she had brought their clothes with her for when they transformed back.

"Damnit! Why wasn't I paying attention?" Kyo hissed at himself.

She sighed once more. "Don't beat yourself up over it. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't either of our faults. The kids took us by surprise. It was only an accident." She told him softly.

"Yeah? Well, they should be more careful next time!" Kyo scoffed, still sounding pissed.

Tikari flattened her black ears, knowing there was no use arguing with him once he was like this. She flicked the black tip of her tail before turning around and peering around the corner.

People walked by on the sidewalk. A few people were walking by themselves. A few couples walked by. And a few groups of people walked by as well. All of them were heading all different directions along the sidewalk. But no sign of Tohru yet.

Tikari glanced over her shoulder to see that Kyo was still fuming. She blew air out of her nose softly before slowly walking over to him. He didn't look up until she was _right in front of him_, close to his face. She stuck out her tongue and licked his head, in between his ears. Kyo flinched and then leaped back; his back arched and fur bristling.

"What the hell was that for?!" He exclaimed.

Tikari was surprised of her own actions. She sat down and curled her tail around her paws, staring at her paws. "I don't know…" She muttered. Her voice was _really_ quiet, she wasn't sure if he had heard her. She was glad when she heard Tohru's voice.

"Kyo? Tikari?"

Tikari's head snapped up and she turned around to peer around the corner. Tohru was calling their names with a bag of groceries and some clothes on her other arm. "Tohru! Over here!" She called. She took a few steps back as Tohru ran over to their hiding place.

"Oh, there you are! I thought you guys might have run to the house or something," Tohru said.

"And transform on the way? I don't think so!" Kyo hissed.

"Oh, well, come on. We better start for the house now then." Tohru suggested as she stood up, for she had knelt down.

Tikari nodded in agreement before bounding over to Kyo. In case he wasn't going to move on his own, she got behind him and nudged him out of the space with her head and paws.

"Hey, hey, _hey_! I can walk on my own, you know!" Kyo snapped, swiping her paws away.

"Well then, come on, slow-poke," Tikari meowed, bounding out of their hiding place and next to Tohru. She purred and rubbed up against her leg like a normal cat would.

Tohru looked down at her in surprise before smiling with a slight giggle. Tikari blinked up at her and smiled before glancing at Kyo who was staring at her in confusion and a bit of surprise. She winked at him with a smile before bounding away in front of Tohru.

On the way to the house, Kyo and Tikari had transformed back, but they were lucky enough to rush into a hiding place before anyone could see them or them each other. Tohru handed them their clothes and they quickly got dressed before continuing home in silence, not wanting to speak of the incident.

**Aww! It seems Tikari enjoys it more than Kyo does to be in cat form :3 I would too lol but that's just me ^.^ Yeah.. the last paragraph you can probably tell it really wasn't put my much effort into. . that's because I had been in a writer's block at the time and just wanted to end the chapter right away... Plz review!**


	7. A Day with Kyo

**Back with another chapter, and the last completed one at that. I'm working on the next one at this moment. And after this chapter, I will be following the anime episodes from then on.**

**The chapter takes place after "Here Come Kagura!" so everyone already knows her and crap. Well, you'll find out if Tikari knows here or not ;)**

It was a quiet, peaceful Sunday, the day after Tikari's horrible scare with the thunderstorm and the incident at the store. Now, everyone was sitting at the table. Tikari, Tohru, and Yuki were drinking tea while Shigure read his newspaper and Kyo practiced his martial arts outside with the door open. It was a nice day for that.

Tikari was getting ready to take another sip when the ground started to rumble. She blinked before smiling and setting down her tea. Yuki glanced at her.

"Tikari, why are you smiling," he asked, confused.

"I know exactly who that is," Tikari answered. She stood up slowly when Kyo's surprised and enraged yell filled the air. She then walked over and stood by the door, watching the scene that was unfolding outside.

A girl with brown hair had latched herself onto Kyo's side. She was speaking to him kindly before she suddenly went into a rage and started beating the crap out of him. Of course, he was trying to get away. He then noticed Tikari at the door.

"Tikari, help me!" Kyo pleaded, still trying to escape the girl's wrath.

Tikari giggled just as the girl stopped mid-swing and turned in her direction. Her eyes immediately lit up and she gasped, smiling.

"Tikari!" The girl started slowly jogging over to the door with outstretched arms.

Tikari smiled even more and went over to meet her. "Kagura!" They embraced each other in a friendly hug, squeezing each other gently and smiling. Everyone stared at them confusedly. They let go after a few moments and held each other by the shoulders at arm's length. "Oh my god, how have you been? It's so good to see you again!"

Kagura smiled in return. "It's good to see you, too!" She then glanced at Kyo who was still staring at them in confusion. When Kyo caught her gaze he flinched. "Kyo forgot to call me again, so I had to come see him."

Tikari glanced at Kyo as well and gave another smile in his direction. "Don't worry, Kagura. I'll make sure he calls you sometime." That earned her a horrified and disgusted look from Kyo's direction.

"Really? Oh, thank you!" Kagura embraced Tikari in a much tighter hug this time.

Tikari cringed at the tightness of the hug. "Yeah.. Okay…" She muttered, trying to catch her breath. She was relieved when Kagura let go of her.

Kagura looked passed Tikari and smiled. She then went over and embraced Tohru in a hug, who had just come to stand just outside the door. "Tohru! It's good to see you again!"

Tikari smiled before walking over to Kyo and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. I won't have you call her." He looked relieved at that. "Besides, you don't want to know how she is on the _phone_," she told him with a shake of her head. He blinked at her. She stepped back just as Kagura came running back over to Kyo, embracing him in a death hug once more. She shook her head with a smile before turning and waving with one hand over her shoulder. "I'm going for a walk," she announced.

If anyone heard her, they didn't make notice of it. Tikari then began to walk slowly towards the trees with her hands in her pants pockets. She stared up through the leaves on the trees as she walked through the forest, watching the small white clouds dash across the clear blue sky. She didn't think to put her IPod and headphones in her pocket so she was just left to listening to the music of the forest. It was good to listen to the forest once in a while as well. It was so peaceful, quiet, and full of life. Birds sang here and there throughout the forest, little critters scurried about through the undergrowth and chattered at each other. Even the trees made their own noise: the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves and bushes, making the bark creak as it moved.

She stopped as she came upon an open area with a large oak tree in the middle. She stared up at it for a few moments, just staring at the leafy branches before walking over to it and reaching up towards the lowest hanging branch. Wrapping her fingers around the branch, she pulled herself up and onto the think branch before climbing onto the next. She continued up the great oak until she was on the largest branch halfway up. She sat with her legs on either side of the branch and her back up against the trunk. She rested her head against the bark as she stared up at the sky. She slowly closed her green eyes and just listened to the sounds of the forest, her black-tipped orange hair slightly blowing in the breeze. She took a deep breath before letting it out through her nose slowly.

It was nice to get away from everything sometimes. There's nothing particularly wrong with Shigure and the others. It was just nice to enjoy the peace and quiet of the forest once in a while. She didn't really get to do that often. She normally had to listen to Yuki and Kyo argue or fight, Tohru fuss over things, and Shigure just being his perverted self. It was just normal everyday life at Shigure's house. There was nothing wrong with that, but sometimes it was nice to get away from it all. Spending some time with each person, one at a time, was nice too.

"What are you doing up here?"

Tikari's eyes flew open in an instant and she almost fell off the branch, had it been if Kyo's hand hadn't caught her arm in time. She straightened herself and glanced at Kyo, who was on the branch in front of her. She let out a huff, "Geez! You almost gave me a heart attack." She then sighed to calm her racing heart, which it did in at least a minute. "What are you doing out here? I thought you were still back at the house."

"I had to get away from Kagura," Kyo snapped, crossing his arms as he sat down on the branch with crisscrossed legs.

Tikari giggled softly as she closed her eyes. "Right, right, sorry."

Kyo glanced at her with a softer expression as she brought her gaze up towards the sky. "What are you doing up here," he asked again.

Tikari shrugged without looking at him. "I found this tree while walking and I just felt like climbing it. Was I asleep?"

"No, it didn't sound like you were sleeping," Kyo answered, looking up through the leaves as well.

"Mm," Tikari hummed softly in response as she closed her eyes once more. "It's nice and quiet out here." Kyo glanced at her as she said this. "There's no sounds of the town, no sounds of anything really, except for the animals that live here. It's quite nice."

"Yeah, I suppose so," Kyo said quietly. He was quiet for a few more minutes. And then he finally spoke. "Almost reminds me of when I was in the mountains with my Master."

Tikari opened her eyes and glanced at him in curiosity. "Your master? The one Shigure kept saying you were up there with and fighting bears and meditating under waterfalls?"

"Yes, but you better not believe a word he says about that! I didn't fight bears," He snapped.

"I know, I know, calm down," Tikari told him. "I don't believe a word he says, mainly because almost everything that comes out of his mouth is perverted." She shook her head at that. "And even if you did do that stuff, I doubt you would have survived because no one can survive a bear attack." She giggled slightly. "Not that you would have died or anything," she quickly added.

"Yeah, whatever." Kyo clasped his hands behind his hand and decided to stare through the leaves once more.

That made Tikari smile, though she didn't know why. "What? You don't believe me?"

Kyo glanced at her with a slightly raised eyebrow. "I never said that."

"You never said you did either," She countered playfully. Kyo scoffed and continued staring up at the sky. "Oh, _relax_! I'm just teasing." She poked him in his side with her index finger as she said so. He flinched slightly at the sudden contact and that made her smile even more. She would have enjoyed poking him even more, but she decided to lay off and just enjoy the quiet time with him instead.

**Yup. Next chapter will be in episode 6 "Invisible Friendship" so yeah.**

**Oh and I was also wondering if I should start writing these chapters in Tikari's POV or not. Tell me what you think. Plz Review!**


	8. Invincible Friendship

**Omg! I finally finished it! _FINALLYYYY! _lol I'm okay now :3 Anyways, I just finished this chap and decided to post it right away for you all ^.^ see how nice I am? And I decided to write it in Tikari's pov :3 I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

Tikari's PoV

It was a school day so, of course, everyone – excluding Shigure, since he's obviously older and not in school anymore – has to get ready. I had gone downstairs after I had gotten dressed and set for school. I skipped the last two steps, like always, and went into the living room to see Shigure sitting at one end of the table and Tohru sitting at the other. Neither seemed to notice me in the doorway as I listened to their conversation.

"Um, as long as I'm going to be living here," Tohru began. "Do you think it would be alright if I told two of my friends where I am? I'm sure they really want to know."

Shigure lowered the newspaper he was reading from his face to look at Tohru. "Uh.."

"If that's okay," Tohru added.

Shigure then smiled. "So long as you don't mention anything about, you know, the zodiac and whatnot, I don't particularly mind," he told her.

Tohru gave one her big smiles. I heard Yuki and Kyo come walking up beside me and glanced in the living. Tohru bowed and stood up, "Thanks so much!"

Seeing the brunette smile made me smile as well. "Come on Tohru, let's go," I called.

Tohru glanced over to see me smiling at her with Yuki and Kyo just behind me. "Okay!" She waved to Shigure before joining the three of us to go to school.

"WHAT?!"

I flinched at the blonde's sudden outburst after Tohru had gotten done explaining that she had been living in a tent then living at Shigure's house. I had joined Tohru and her two friends, Uo and Hana, as Tohru explained to them what happened. Hana was eating a bag of chips beside Tohru while I sat across from her, Uo sitting on the other side of me and Tohru. We sat facing each other on a blanket, kind of like a picnic.

"So not only were you living in a tent, but now you've moved into Prince Yuki's house?! Seriously," Uo exclaimed.

"Yes," Tohru replied calmly. "I'm sorry for not saying anything about it sooner. There's a lot that happened! But, everything's fine now." Crunch. "And they're all really nice people." Crunch. "So, there's nothing to worry about."

The two stared at her silently for a while after what Tohru just said. I stared back and forth between them before leaning forward and wrapping my arms around Tohru with a smile. "And besides! I also live with them so she's not the only girl there! She won't be alone," I told them. Tohru smiled at me.

"This is definitely a bolt out of the blue," Hana said after everything was silent once more, in her usual calm and emotionless voice. I had moved back to sit in my spot once more. "I wonder… How will the Prince Yuki fan girls react when they hear the news?"

Tohru sweat-dropped, I did as well.

"Hmm. I thought it was strange how you've been spending so much time with the Prince and Orange-top lately," Uo said. "Now I understand."

Suddenly, Hana crunched the chip bag closed, making birds fly nearby and me flinch once more. "Perhaps we should have them invite us over," she suggested. "I'd like to see whether or not this is a suitable environment for you to be living in."

Hey, great idea! Let's check it out right now," Uo added. I raised an eyebrow as they continued speaking while Tohru was just silent and probably working some gears in her head.

"If we show up unexpectedly, they may not serve snacks."

"Oh, another good point. We're two for two." Suddenly Hana and Uo were standing up and already beginning to walk away. "Okay then, we'll stay over tomorrow night." Uo said that with a raised hand.

Tohru said something inaudible while she bowed her head before lifting her head and giving her two friends a smile. "Okay."

"High school girls!~ High school girls!~" Shigure sang as he wiped the table with a cloth. "One, two, three~ High school girls!~" He giggled before sitting up straight. "Ah, I can't help but wonder what kind of girls these friends of Tohru's are."

"A Yankee and a psychic," Kyo said matter-of-factly. It sounded like he was almost annoyed, but I couldn't really tell. Shigure seemed to freeze up after hearing that.

Shigure was sitting at his usual spot at the table while Yuki and Kyo sat at one side, and Tohru and I sat on the other. I laughed at Shigure, finding it hilarious how he was acting. The sound of the door opened and Tohru got up to go greet them. "Oh, they're here!"

The four cursed Sohma's watched her leave. I glanced back over my shoulder but then noticed Shigure's red face. I held a hand to my mouth as I tried to hold in more giggles, getting different stares from the boys across from me. I then busted out laughing when his face got even redder when he noticed me staring at him.

"Hi, come in! So, you found the house okay?"

"No, we got lost." That sounded like Uo.

"I'm thinking this was a bad idea," Kyo muttered. He gave me an 'are-you-crazy?' kind of look.

I glanced at him and tried to hold in my giggles. I took deep breaths before I finally managed to settle down. "I'm okay now," I announced to no one in particular.

Yuki shook his head in amusement at me before muttering to Kyo, "Just don't do anything stupid."

Kyo glared at Yuki as he tried to control his anger. "That goes double for you, ya damn rat!" I shook my head at them with a small smile on my face.

"Yes, all of us would do well to be careful while they're here," Shigure spoke up. "'Cause I wonder, if either of these girls were to find out the family curse, what would happen, do you think?" He then turned his weird stare to Yuki and Kyo. I only raised an eyebrow, finding his behavior to be a bit strange now. Yuki and Kyo stared at him intently, listening to what he's saying. "At the very least, I suppose that Tohru would no longer be allowed to stay in this house."

Everyone was silent. I deadpanned before raising an eyebrow at Shigure. "All you three have to do is make sure you watch where you step and be careful what the hell you do and say. Nothing more, nothing less. Got it?" The three of them now stared at me. I didn't give them a chance to reply. "Good." I closed my eyes and clasped my hand behind my head and leaned back slightly.

"Well, either way," Shigure said after a moment of silence. "Something's bound to happen! Kay suraw suraw! **(or whatever the hell he said cuz I have no freaking idea!)**" He said that while moving his finger at the last sentence and chuckling.

"You just like hearing yourself talk, don't you," Yuki said, relaxing slightly.

"Yep," I replied nonchalantly.

"There's a dog."

Everyone except me seemed to be on edge when she said that. I just flinched at the sudden voice that entered the room. Even with Hana's psychic "ability", I didn't think she'd be able to figure it out _that_ quickly even if she _did_ manage to figure it out.

"Over there," Hana added.

A brown dog barked at the porch behind Yuki and Kyo, who had face-palmed (Yuki) and scowled (Kyo). I giggled. Kyo gave me a look that said 'how-can-you-be-so-damn-calm?!' I just shrugged with a smile and mouthed with a wink, "'Cause I'm a girl and I don't have anything to worry about. You're all just paranoid!" He just scoffed and glanced in a different direction.

Instead, I glanced over my shoulder. "Oh, wassup!"

"Hey, Tikari," Uo greeted with a smile.

"Oh, yes that's a dog!" Shigure said, trying to cover their paranoidness up. I just shook my head.

"So, these are my friends," Tohru introduced when everyone sat down. "Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima."

Tohru had moved to Shigure's spot while Shigure moved to sit on the other side of Kyo. I sat on the other side of the table across from Tohru while the two girls sat across from the guys. Everyone had a glass of tea in front of them.

"Hey," Uo said, raising a hand.

"A pleasure," Hana said nonchalantly.

"Welcome, welcome," Shigure said. "Please, make yourselves right at home!" He chuckled nervously.

"Say, it's Shigure, right? This is your place," Uo asked, glancing at him. "So, what do you do to pay the rent around here?" I glanced expectantly at him, curious as to what he does. Even I didn't know.

"Oh, me? I'm a writer," he announced. "Well, a novelist actually."

The tea bottle tipped over as Tohru stood up in surprise. "Did you say you're a novelist?!" Everyone stared at her. I raised an eyebrow at her. I was surprised as well, but I wasn't _that_ surprised.

"Why the heck are you so surprised," Uo asked.

"This is the first she's heard of it," Hana guessed.

"Right," Tohru agreed. "I really had no idea."

"Well, that's cool, Shigure," I exclaimed with a smile.

"What was it again," Yuki asked, turning to the older man. "Fine literature or something?"

"Uh-huh! That's right," Shigure said. "This sort of story." He held up a sort of pink looking book. Yuki, Kyo, and Uo seemed to stare at him in disgust and astonishment. I raised an eyebrow. Shigure noticed the book he was holding up. "Oh, sorry. My mistake." He picked up a green book with a golden writing on it. "This is my real work." He then moved the pink book around a bit. "This one here was just something I did for fun!"

"So that makes it okay to write that dime sore **(I honestly don't know what the hell she said…) **smut," Uo asked, sweat-dropping.

"You're a sicko, you know that!" Kyo smacked his fist against the table.

Yuki sighed. "What were you thinking?"

Tohru had her hands clasped together with little sparkles around her as she stared admiringly at Shigure. "Shigure, that's amazing! I mean, to think, I actually know someone as important as a novelist!"

I blinked at her before smiling and turning to Shigure. "That is really cool, Shigure!"

Yuki and Kyo stared at us in surprise but then Yuki smiled at us softly. "Careful, Miss Honda, Tikari, you don't want to inflate his ego too much."

"Like his head to get any bigger than it already is," Kyo agreed, glancing at the man. I giggled and nodded in agreement.

Shigure was laughing while Uo stared at him before glancing at the still-smiling-admiringly Tohru. I didn't pay any attention to them. "Maybe you could let me borrow some of your books, Shigure?"

Kyo gave her a 'what-the-hell-are-you-thinking?' look.

I shrugged and tried to defend myself. "What? I like reading!" In a lower voice, I muttered, "And music."

"Well, enough about me," Shigure said, seemingly unaware of mine and Kyo's silent conversation. Though, he did nod to my request. "Why don't you tell us something about yourselves? You can start by telling us how you met Tohru."

"What, serious?" Uo raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm sure we'd all like to hear!" Shigure then glanced beside him. "Right, Yuki? Right, Kyo? Right, Tikari?" He glanced at the green-eyed Sohma, me, last.

I nodded and clapped my hands together once with a smile. "Yes! I'd love to hear about it." Kyo sighed while Yuki glanced at Tohru.

"Uo saved me," Tohru announced, grabbing their full attention. "Hey, pin-head! You better not step on those! You-" She stopped once she noticed everyone staring at her oddly. "Wait, let me back up. This one time in middle school I dropped all my notes in the hall." It was silent for a few moments.

"What have I done," Shigure mumbled. I reached over and smacked him upside his head, giving him a glare for being rude.

"Yeah, I remember that," Uo said, closing her eyes. "I guess I could get a little… rough back then."

_Back then?_ Yuki and Kyo's thoughts echoed in unison. I stayed silent as I listened intently.

"You were still a Yankee then, weren't you," Tohru asked.

The guys seemed to group together as they stared at the girls with sweat-drops and those depressing blue anime lines. **(whatever the hell those things are called xD I seriously don't know)**

"Right," Uo agreed. "I started running with them in the fifth grade."

"You always used to wear those masks all the time," Tohru added.

"And I had my eyebrows thinned out and wore those long skirts."

"You're forgetting you do all of those things _now_, Arisa," Hana joined in, her face buried in Shigure's pink book he wrote for "fun".

"I guess you're right," Uo said before bursting out laughing. I giggled along with her.

"That's lovely." Shigure had his eyes closed as he said this. "She's so- …how should I say it? By putting it into words, I'm afraid the nobility of it all would be obscured."

"Of what?" Yuki and I asked in unison.

"You know, she's so spunky!"

"You sick bastard," Kyo said.

"How sad," Hana said, making me glance at her. "Love doomed from the start."

"You're reading that," Uo asked in disbelief.

Shigure ran up behind them, startling Uo. "That silly little thing? Oh, I'm flattered," he exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. "So, what do you think?"

Hana glanced at him with her emotionless gaze, making her seem creepier in everyone's eyes. "You don't want to know what I think."

"Oh, no?" Shigure was very creeped out.

"But when is volume two coming out?"

Shigure sweat-dropped at that, making me laugh.

"Can we just knock it off with the books, okay?" Uo said, not in the least amused.

"I know!" Tohru suddenly stood up. "I just thought of something fun we could do!" She then glanced down at everyone. "Wait here, I'll be right back!" She then ran off into another room, leaving everyone to stare after her.

"So then, Saki," Shigure started. "You never did tell us how you got to be friends."

"Are you _sure_ you're ready to hear," Hana pressed in her usual emotionless voice.

Shigure was definitely very creeped out by her, getting even more creeped out with everything she said. "Oh, uh… That's okay, as long as you're friends now. That's what's important!" His voice was getting high-pitched with every word he said. This was getting very amusing in my opinion.

"We were in middle school, and I was transferred into Tohru's class," Hana continued.

"Oh… Is that so…"

"Yes, you see, at my previous school I had caused something of a disturbance."

Okay, now all the guys were disturbed, to the point they might just want to run out the door. But who knows. I just raised an eyebrow.

"Well, that is a wonderful story, isn't it? Bt I just remembered I still have some work to do, so you kids will excuse me!" Shigure then went into another room. Yuki and Kyo just looked pissed at him.

"Ran off did he…" I muttered under my breath, just loud enough for the boys to hear, and shook my head in disappointment. "And I thought he was a "man". Guess I was wrong!" I shrugged my shoulders and stared pointedly in the direction that Shigure had disappeared. I had earned myself a few stares from the other Sohmas.

"I gotta say," Uo began. "I didn't know what to make of all of this when she told us. But it looks like Tohru's fitting right in here. I'm happy for her. And I guess I can understand why she didn't want to say anything at first." She paused. "But still… We made a promise. The three of us swore over Kyoko's grave that when the time came, we'd be there to help each other. No matter what! That probably sounds a bit over-dramatic, but it wasn't really, for us. After all, Tohru was our first real friend and everything. Tohru… Tohru and Kyoko both… you see, they were there for me when I needed someone most. Thanks to them, I found the strength to climb my out of all the crap I'd fallen into. They help me to believe in myself. That I could change if I wanted. And when I met the two of them, for the first time, I discovered that I did want to change. I wanted to be someone Tohru can be proud to call her friend. The way I was proud to call her mine. So this time around, with everything that's happened, the fact that I wasn't there to help Tohru… _that_ bothers me."

The Sohmas were silent the whole time she was talking. I was silent as well, thinking of my own life. I didn't really have any friends when I was younger. My parents wouldn't allow it. They were too frightened to let me out and actually have _fun_ like normal kids and people. They just shut me up in the house and "protected" me from all the "things" that would shun me and throw me out. My vision started to get blurry and I blinked. Oh god… Was I going to cry? I shook my head lightly and tried to blink them back, feeling satisfied when my vision started returning to normal.

"I mean… to think that she would have to go through all this trouble by herself. Maybe she doesn't think she can count on us. Or maybe we're just not that good as friends," Uo said. It sounded mostly like she was speaking from her thoughts.

"Nah, I just don't think she's the kind of girl who worries about stuff like that," Kyo told them in a soft voice. That grabbed both Hana's and Uo's attention.

"Miss Honda is… She's the kind of person who puts others' wellbeing before her own," Yuki explained.

I only nodded in agreement, not trusting my own voice to sound at all confident and non-shaky at the moment. I looked up from my lap to see Hana's expression actually to be shocked. I blinked. I didn't think the psychic girl could have anything _but_ an emotionless face. I glanced at Yuki and Kyo and found that my green gaze met crimson. His eyes shown with an unknown emotion when he saw my face. I knew what he was thinking and I shook my head, giving him a smile before returning my attention back to the girls visiting the house.

"Huh?" Uo looked shocked as well.

But before anyone could say anything else, Tohru pushed the door open and came in. "Sorry it took so long," she apologized with her usual smile. "I hope you're all ready to play." She held up a deck of red and white cards. "Rich Man Poor Man." Yuki glanced back at her in surprise.

"Ah, that's a fine idea, Tohru," Hana said.

"Okay, how about we pick it up where we left off. I don't think I got to finish making a fool out of Orange-top here," Uo added.

"Yeah, talk it up," Kyo exclaimed in his usual loud voice. "But this time when I win you have to dye your hair black."

"Oh? Well, when you lose you have to bleach all the dye out of your hair and leave white!"

"It's naturally this color!"

"Is that right?" Hana asked.

"That's right!"

The whole time, I noticed that Yuki was staring at Tohru. I raised an eyebrow at this.

"Yuki?" Tohru came and knelt down in front of Yuki, holding out the deck of cards between them. "Would you like to shuffle the cards?"

"Uh… I…" Yuki seemed at a loss for words before he composed himself with a hand through his purple-gray hair. "Sure."

"Why you little- You and your cheap ass tricks!" Uo shouted.

"Cheap is nothing, that's fair game! You're the one playing tricks, Yankee," Kyo shouted back.

I watched as they both stood with their faces close together, black tick marks on their head as they clenched their teeth together.

"Next time you pull that crap I'm gonna light you up," Uo threatened.

"Go ahead and try, it'll be the dumbest thing you ever did!" Kyo then stood up straight and pointed his thumb to his chest. "I'll take you out!" He then tried to walk around the table, but Uo stopped him but moving to stand in front of him.

"Oh yeah? Some tough guy, you're running away!"

"Who's running? I'm going to the bathroom!"

It continued as Kyo tried to get around her and Uo tried to stand in his way.

"Aww! Gotta take a leak?"

"What's it to you?"

"Better hurry, we don't want you to piss yourself."

"Damnit, you got a loud mouth!"

"Be careful guys, don't want to hurt yourself," I called out in an almost sing-song voice. Eventually, they both bumped into each other and fell backwards. There was a _poof_ and Kyo disappeared from sight. Luckily, Uo had her eyes closed as she stumbled back. I sighed, "Too late." I picked up my cup of tea and took a sip calmly. Everyone else seemed oblivious to the situation that just happened until Uo grunted from being bumped into by Kyo. She was looking around the room.

"Something wrong, Miss Uotani," Yuki asked.

I shook my head. Why did everyone have to be oblivious to the things that happened around them? Even Uo was confused. What the hell was wrong with these people?

"Uh, no," Uo said as she glanced at him.

I glanced beside me on the floor beside Uo to see Kyo in his cat form shake his head and stand up in his pile of clothes before glaring up at Uo.

"Ah, well that's good," Yuki said with a kind smile. "It's just that things sounded like they were getting pretty heated there for a minute."

As he was speaking, Kyo used the cover of his shirt to run to the porch before leaping off and ducking underneath. I smiled softly – glad that he was able to get away – before taking another sip of my tea. I caught Tohru's gaze and we both smiled in relief and understanding.

"I know," Tohru said, holding a finger. "Until Kyo gets back from the bathroom, why don't we all play a quick game of Sevens?"

"Yeah, sure let's play," Uo agreed. She began to walk back to her spot but she slipped on Kyo's pants. She began to fall, but then Tohru stood up and slipped on her own cushion. Yuki ended up noticing and flew underneath her to catch her. All of this happening while Hana shuffled the deck of cards, unaware of everything happening around her. They all fell, Uo catching herself with her hands, and Tohru landing on Yuki and him transforming into a rat.

I took a sip of my tea with a raised eyebrow, watching as Yuki ran out the door and hid under the porch with Kyo, fully aware of what happened but doing nothing to help. I glanced over to Tohru and pretended to be "surprised" as I set my cup down. "Tohru, are you alright," I asked, my voice laced with worry. The girls came over to her and helped her up, along with me.

"Are you hurt at all," Hana asked, holding Tohru's shoulders.

"No, I-I'm alright," Tohru assured her. And that's when they all noticed Yuki's clothes below her. I mentally face-palmed. How were we going to cover that up? Thankfully, Tohru saved the day and rolled his shirt up around her fist quickly. "You see? I didn't fall." She then began scrubbing the floor with the dark blue cloth. "Just cleaning up! Scrub, scrub, scrub, scrub, scrub… Dust, dust, dust… See, cleaning."

I gave a smile before shaking my head. I then turned back to my tea and took a sip. This day will only get more complicated, won't it?

"Well, Orange-top sure is taking his time," Uo reported after a while of playing cards.

"Sure is," Tohru agreed.

"I bet he fell in," I said, laughing right after it left my mouth.

Uo joined my laugh before calming down. "And the Prince just up and disappeared."

"You're right," Hana agreed. "I wonder where our kind hosts have run off to."

"Well, I'm still here, I won't run off," I told them. I then shrugged. "Not like I have anywhere to go anyways."

"For the love of- …We can't even start this game of Sevens, you know," Uo sighed.

I, with my sensitive hearing from being cursed by the cat, could hear a tapping noise nearby. I glanced over from the corner of my emerald green eyes and saw Kyo's paw trying to reach his shirt with unsheathed claws. I raised an eyebrow. Was he going to be able to reach it like that?

"A cat," Hana announced. "Cat paw."

"Oh! You're playing Sevens, right?" Shigure cut in quite loudly, standing in the doorway to the porch. "That sounds like fun! Think you have room for one more?"

"Well, if it isn't the master novelist," Uo said, glancing up at him. "You any good at this game?"

Shigure put a hand to his chin with a light chuckle. "Well, you should know, in the old days they used to call me "The Sevens Bandit"."

"Oh really? That's incredible!" Tohru put her hands to her cheeks as she stared admiringly at him once more.

Unlike her, me and Uo caught on to his little lie.

"I'll say! It's a lie," Uo said. I nodded in agreement.

"But enough about me," Shigure said, trying to cover that up, which was a big fail in my case, who still kept giving him a pointed stare. "Let's get to playing shall we? So, what are the rules?" He laughed nervously.

I glanced over to see Kyo still trying to snag his claws in his hoodie. But then there was _poof_ of orange smoke and I could just barely see his arm in place of his orange paw. And everyone heard the "poof" too…

"You guys hear that? It sounded like some kind of boom." Uo tried to catch a glimpse of whatever made the "boom" was outside.

"There was a definite… boom," Hana agreed.

This time, I face-palmed for real, not just in my mind. _Damnit… And I thought he might just be able to reach it without any trouble, too…_

At the same time – probably having the same thoughts – Tohru and Shigure reached for Yuki's clothes. I sighed, seeing that his clothes were right behind me, and grabbed them before quickly flicking them out the door, successfully having them land outside. Tohru must have jumped or something because suddenly she fell on top of Shigure, perfecting a light blue _poof_. I ended up face-palming again before glancing beside me. Tohru had her arms wrapped around a black dog's neck.

A few moments of silence passed before Shigure "barked". That's when Tohru hugged him tighter. "I thought you'd run away, I'm so glad you're back, um…" She was trying to think up a name.

"Kuro," I exclaimed, pretending to be happy about having "Shigure" coming back.

Shigure seemed to freeze up and his wagging tail went crooked as he deadpanned. I could just hear his thoughts too. _Kuro?_ I sent him an 'it-was-the-quickest-name-I-could-come-up-with-so- deal-with-it' glare.

"Yes," Tohru giggled. "Kuro" barked twice once more and continued wagging his tail. Tohru seemed to deflate on "Kuro" in relief.

"That's odd," Hana said, earning a glance from me. "It appears we've run out of snacks." She then stood up. "I'll go find the kitchen." When she turned around, Kyo was walking in while trying to readjust his hoodie before they both ran into each other, effecting in making Kyo transform once more.

I sighed in defeat. This day was just getting more tiring by the minute. Shigure started bouncing around and barking like a maniac before hearing Yuki change back. Kyo had already disappeared by now. Now Shigure was bouncing around even more before grabbing Yuki's clothes and throwing them outside without anyone noticing, except me of course, who shook my head at his actions.

"That's… weird," Uo said, breaking the silence that ensued. "I swear I thought I saw Orange-top in here." I could just hear Kyo's "almost" quiet panting from behind the door on the porch. Just then, Shigure bounced on Uo and panted in her face.

That's when Yuk walked in, button up the last of his buttons. "Miss Honda, I think Kuro is trying to tell us he's hungry, don't you?"

"Yeah, that must be it," Tohru agreed. "Here, come on, boy. Let's go to the kitchen, Kuro." "Kuro" followed behind her, barking all the while.

"Tohru, wait," Hana called after he in her quiet voice.

Tohru had opened the door to the kitchen and looked over her shoulder at her. "Uh, yes?"

"Some more snack? If you don't mind," Hana told her.

"Oh, sure." Tohru and "Kuro" then went into the kitchen with the door closed behind them.

"Come on," Uo pressed.

"This game isn't going very well now, is it," Hana said.

Yuki was at a loss for words as he tried to figure out what to do. Uo and Hana were staring at him intently, pressuring him even more. "Uh, why don't I… I'll go check on her," he said, standing up.

Not liking the feeling of what might happen next, I stood up as well. "I'll go too!" I walked over to him and we took only two steps before Tohru opened the door and rushed out with a plate of jelly buns, bumping into Yuki in the process. Everything went flying in the air, along with a rat with flailing legs and tail. It didn't look like Tohru was going to catch the rat, so I reached out and caught him in one hand while Tohru grabbed and squeezed a jelly bun instead. I quickly brought him close to my chest while covering him up with my free hand.

"Hey, Tohru, nice catch," Uo congratulated her. Shigure barked from behind Tohru.

"Although, most of them still fell," Hana added.

I stood up and acted like I was going to pet "Kuro", but I actually put Yuki on his head and pushed him away from everyone else, mouthing "go" as I did so. He obliged and disappeared with Yuki on his head. I then helped Tohru pick everything up after they had gone.

After that, we had all settled down to eat the jelly buns and talk some more. We talked about random things really, favorite colors, what we liked to do, those sort of things. Just some small talk. Uo and Hana eventually got and went to open the door to the hallway, but as Uo was going to take a step, Kyo, in his cat form still with clothes tied around his neck, came to a stop and stared at her foot as he was about to get stepped on. I saw all this and also saw the fact that came and picked Kyo up by his scruff before dashing off outside and into the bushes. I let out a sigh of relief just as Hana was telling Uo that she had almost stepped on a "cat" and pointed towards the bushes.

When we all looked, Shigure was using a pair of pants and rubbing his across his back and singing, "One, two, one two!~" He then glanced in our direction. "Nothing gets the blood flow like a rub down with a dry towel." Only he wasn't using a towel, which made me face-palm.

After that idiotic display, the guys had gotten dressed and night had fallen. So the girls went up to Tohru's room for the "sleepover". I didn't really feel like sleeping yet so I had grabbed my earphones and IPod before climbing onto the roof, after making sure Kyo wasn't there first. I sat on the roof and looked up at the stars and moon, listening to the different songs that come on my IPod. I gasped in excitement when one of the songs that I truly loved came on. I hummed softly to the rhythm, swaying slightly as I did so, and sang the words aloud.

"_It takes a girl to understand_

_Just how to win_

_(She knows she can)_

_I think it's clear who where's the pants_

_The boy could stand a chance_

_She makes it look easy_

_In control completely_

_She'll get the best of you_

_Every single time_

_Thought by now, you'd realize you should_

_Never underestimate a girl_

_Gets anything she wants_

_She's never gonna stop_

_(You know, we know it)_

_Never underestimate a girl_

_She's always got a plan_

_The world is in her hands_

_She got the lipstick_

_Puts it together_

_Boys have it good_

_But girls have it better_

_(Watch out)_

_Your secretary might end up your boss_

_Whether you really like it or not_

_She makes it look easy_

_In control completely_

_She'll get the best of you_

_Every single time_

_(That's right)_

_No no no you should_

_Never under estimate a girl_

_Gets anything she wants_

_She's never gonna stop_

_(You know, we know it)_

_Never underestimate a girl_

_She's always got a plan_

_The world is in her hands_

_She might be president_

_Make all the rules_

_Don't try to win the game_

_You're only gonna lose_

_Now girls you know we got it_

_Got it goin' on_

_We've been tryin' to tell them all along_

_Listen up guys, take a little sound advice_

_That's right_

_No no you should never underestimate a girl_

_Gets anything she wants_

_She's never gonna stop_

_(You know it, we know it)_

_Never underestimate a girl_

_She's always got a plan_

_The world is in her hands_

_Never under estimate a girl_

_Gets anything she wants_

_She's never gonna stop_

_(You know it, we know it)_

_Never underestimate a girl_

_She's always got a plan_

_The world is in her hands"_

I giggled after that as I reflected back on what has happened on today. It did show how girls can be sometimes. They can be protective and pushy and just want things to go their way, otherwise make it their way by force. That almost sounded like Uo. I smiled at that. In a way, girls kind of do rule the world. Girls like to have everything go their way, and won't tolerate anything else. But not me, I don't really mind much. I go along with other people most of the time. I'm not a follower, but I won't necessarily be a leader either unless it's absolutely necessary.

"What are you doing up here?"

I flinched, startled, and glanced over my shoulder to see who the owner of the voice was. It was none other than Kyo himself. Damn… How long had he been there? He came down and sat beside me, raising an eyebrow in my direction as he waited for an answer. "Uh… How long have you been listening," I asked almost nervously. I normally didn't sing out loud, but when I did, I always made sure that no one was around to listen. And it looks like today, I wasn't so lucky.

"Since you got up here," he answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

I shoved my earphones and IPod in my pocket as I tilted my head down slightly, covering my eyes with my bangs. I whined softly. Damn… He was listening. "I don't really sing aloud… but when I do, I don't let anyone hear me," I said quietly, my voice just above a whisper.

It was silent for a moment between us before Kyo spoke up. "I don't see why, you sound fine," he muttered, scratching the back of his head as he did.

I glanced over at him from the corner of my eyes, staring at him through my bangs. Was that a slight blush covering his face? "Really," I asked, uncertain if I heard him correctly or not.

"Y-yeah, but that doesn't anything," Kyo retorted, obviously flustered. "I was just saying!"

Feeling less nervous than I had a few moments ago, I beamed at him before giggling softly. "Whatever you say, Kyo," I muttered. "Whatever you say." I then yawned, unable to hold it back.

Kyo glanced over at me before standing up. "We should go get some sleep," he told me. "We have those damn girls to worry about tomorrow until they leave." He extended his hand down, offering his hand out to me.

I stared at his hand a moment before giggling once more and taking it, having him pull me up to my feet. "Right," I replied. He yanked his hand out of my grasp before walking off ahead of me, me following close behind him. I knew he didn't really like anybody touching him, especially when he had to deal with the girls at school all day everyday wanting to talk to him and all that kind of crap. So, I didn't mind it at all. He'd just have to get used to it sooner or later.

I had gotten up early and went into the kitchen to find Tohru already fixing up breakfast. Kyo stopped in the middle of the kitchen and started chugging down milk from the carton like he did before. I rolled my eyes as I entered. "You're hogging the milk again," I muttered in a low voice. He glanced at me from the corner of his eyes but still gulped down the milk. He soon stopped when he noticed something in front of him. I looked as well to see Yuki looking really sluggish and just plain worn-out. I think that's his usual morning face or something.

"Uh, hey Yuki," Kyo started. "Are you-"

Before he could finish, Yuki suddenly slumped forward and rested his forward on Kyo's shoulder, making said teen start to freak out.

"So, Yuki, you're having a hard time waking up as usual," Tohru commented. So I was correct, that's his normal morning routine.

"Yeah, yeah, just keep movin' will ya," Kyo exclaimed, still freaking out. Lucky for him, Yuki obliged and walked away. I giggled at the display. Kyo sent a glare in my direction. "What?"

"I'm sorry," I giggled, trying to hold them back with a hand over my mouth. "I just find that absolutely hilarious." Kyo just scoffed.

"Wow, Kyo, with as much as you want to beat Yuki you still don't try to sneak up on him when he's like this," Tohru commented. "It's very admirable."

"No, that's not it," Kyo said. "It's not like that. He's stronger when he's half asleep." He seemed a bit depressed to admit this.

Tohru and I sweat-drop. "Oh, so you have tried to attack him then."

Kyo suddenly whipped around and clenched the milk carton tightly in his fist as he shouted, "Yeah, I tried and I got beat even worse than when he's awake, okay! You know what that means?! It means that stupid dirty little sissy rat-boy is always holding back on me!" He then suddenly got punched in the face by a now wide-awake Yuki. "What gives?! I thought you were still out of it!"

"Your stupid voice woke me up," Yuki said. I held my hand tightly over my mouth, even thought it doesn't make sense for me to laugh when they're fighting.

"Fine, I don't care anymore dammit! Asleep or not, it's you and me, right now! I'm gonna mop up this kitchen with your face!"

"How can you even talk about this nonsense so early in the morning," Yuki sighed. I snorted, trying so hard not to breathe, if that'll keep me from laughing. Though, I was failing miserably since my shoulders were shaking.

"A cat and a mouse," Hana said suddenly, speaking from the doorway.

It sure scared the hell out of both of them, but not me of course. I started cracking up right then and there. I clutched my stomach as I laughed and slid onto the floor as I did so. Everyone looked at me funny except Uo and Hana. After a moment, I sighed and wiped a tear from my eye. "I'm sorry, continue."

"That's what they're like," Hana continued, as if I hadn't even been laughing in the first place.

"You think?" Uo was standing right next to her.

"The way they're fighting, it's like a cat and mouse. Just like the ones in the old cartoon."

"Yeah," Uo said in remembrance. "Something-or-other and Jerry."

"It's Tom and Jerry," I corrected her, standing up and wiping imaginary dust off my clothes.

"Right," Uo smiled in my direction before turning back to the boys. "So the two of you don't get along very much, do you?"

Yuki turned slightly with a smile. "I suppose not."

"Even so, this seems like a pleasant enough house," Hana commented. "Which is good because if it had been a poor environment for Tohru to be living in, there are many things I would have to do to correct it." Her expression then became very creepy. "Yes, many things."

I could just see what the boys were thinking. _'What kind of many things?'_

Hana then smiled as she closed her eyes. "But I can see that the two of you… both have fine electric signals."

"Huh?" The two were both very confused. And I flicked a glance to see Shigure peaking in. I raised an eyebrow at him but he didn't seem to notice me.

"Oh, you didn't know? That's even better I think."

Both girls then hugged Tohru.

"Well, I'm sure you'll do your best to be nice," Uo said.

"To Tohru we mean," Hana added.

Tohru was smiling with tears in her eyes. "Oh, Uo, Hana."

The two boys were just staring at them, Kyo a bit oddly, so I flicked his arm slightly. He glanced at me before directing his attention back to the three girls in fornt of us.

"We'll come back for another visit soon," Uo promised.

"Yes, let's," Hana said. "I'm curious to know more about the Sohma family's unique signals." I raised an eyebrow at this.

"Okay, now how about some breakfast?" Uo said as they began walking away.

"Yes, breakfast."

Now Kyo was getting irritated again. "Hey, hey, hey! You gotta be kiddin'! Damn girls are takin' over!" I giggled at this, remembering the song I sang last night.

"Oh, I know it must seem that way, but they mean well," Tohru insisted. "You'll see! Uo and Hana are both really, really good people. So please…" Both the boys were staring at her strangely again before Kyo finally huffed and rubbed the side of his head with a hand.

"Fine whatever," he grumbled.

"After all, they're your friends, right," Yuki added.

Tohru smiled at this. "Right." This made me smile as well, and I giggled softly.

They didn't really know how to say no to her, did they? I mean, there was no real argument here, but I doubt they ever could say no to her anyway. It just seemed kind of sweet and cute how that worked out. It made me want to laugh again!

**Aww! Wasn't that cute! :D Lol the song she sang was _Never Underestimate A Girl by Vanessa Hudgens_**

**Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter! ^^ I hope no one was out of character... *glances around frantically* I enjoyed writing this chapter nonetheless! Even though it was...so...looooong... . Anyways, plz review! :D**


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